Duty, Honour, Love
Chapter 48

Eloise stepped into the conference room expecting to only see the Chief. Instead she confronted eight people including the Chief. The room was a rectangle dominated by a huge table with at least a dozen seats. The walls a cream colour and there were no windows. Illumination came from a series of recessed lights.

“Great ambush,” she said sarcastically. She recognised everyone here. Kathleen Morin, Laura Rollins, Cloiytie, the Chief, Captain Karasena and Lieutenant Dareia from the Confederacy listening post. And lastly the two Terrans from the Orinoco the Empire ship that crashed in the bay. Captain Mark Stillway and his first officer Lieutenant Jane Walberg. Of all of those assembled here she was most uncomfortable with was Laura. Laura was her therapist and knew her deepest most intimate thoughts and fears.

“Please sit down Eloise?” Laura smiled at her. “I’m not wearing my counsellor hat today and as you know anything said in my office stays there.”

Eloise sat she’d long suspected Laura was a tepe but it wouldn’t be in her interests to denounce her especially when Laura helped her though her insecurities.

“What’s this about?” she asked. She sat at the end of the table nervously clutching her satchel. “May I record this?” She wondered if they’d let her whatever was going on would be of interest to her viewers and listeners.

“That is up to you,” the Chief said.

They waited as she set up her devices. She trembled a bit trying hard to hide her nervousness. Whatever was going on was big bigger than anything she’d done before. “Ok I’m ready.”

“Good, we can start,” the Chief stated. “We called you in because…” The Chief hesitated. “We need your help.”

She stared at the Chief shocked. No one ever asked for her help there had to be a catch. “Mine?”

“We need to get this information to the whole of Erikino.”

That had her intrigued. “Ok I’ll bite?”

“There be an imminent raider attack on Erikino,” Karasena told her.

Eloise looked from face to face this wasn’t a joke. It did explain a lot of odd things she was hearing about, but each time she tried to investigate Security always intervened. “When?”

“In about four weeks,” Karasena said.

“Shit!” Eloise went crimson that was unprofessional. “How do you know?” She knew it was a stupid question as soon as she said it. “And what is the Confederacy doing about it?” She directed her question to Karasena.

“Admiral Katares informed me of the attack. With Captain Stillway’s help we are co-ordinating our defences.”

That explained the presence of the Terrans. “Has the Mayor been informed?”

“This is to do with the whole of Erikino and as such comes under military jurisdiction,” the Chief stated with a nod to Karasena.

Eloise was shocked the Mayor was central to all that happened in Hawthorn. “You haven’t told the Mayor?” All sorts of conspiracy theories popped into her head. “How do it know what you are telling me is true. For all I know this could be a prelude to a Terran take over?”

The Chief leaned beck and sighed. “I thought you wouldn’t believe us but I have a back up.” He leaned forward and tapped a icon on the console in front of him.

A holographic screen popped up showing a room with three people. Eloise instantly recognised two, the third in and admiral’s uniform was unfamiliar to her.

“Prince Lento, Sheila?” Eloise felt like a hesitant schoolgirl at presentation. Here was her idol the one she tried to base herself on.

“Hello Eloise,” Sheila said but she wasn’t smiling. “I know there is a lot to take in but what you are hearing is the truth.”

“We’re going to be attacked by raiders, why?”

“It’s what raiders do and because of the present war they are taking an advantage,” Prince Lento spoke his crisp tone making it all the more important for her to listen.

“Are we on our own?” She had to ask the question she felt she was being judged on her actions.

“We have three heavy cruisers on the way but they won’t reach you for thirty-three days. We hoped to it would be sooner but we had a few delays,” the T’Arni in the admiral’s uniform said.

“And that is why it is vital we have everyone prepared,” Sheila said.

Eloise sat straighter. “Of course.” She’d heard rumours of how raiders would strip whole colonies of assets and wiping out the colonists. Then that was in the Disputed Territories and Erikino was far from that. “I’ll do the best I can!” she announced. The last person she wanted to disappoint was her idol.

“I know you will do your best the whole of Erikino is counting on you,” Sheila told her.

The holo ended and Eloise stared at where it had been. “Ok I’m sold, what you do want from me.”

“We need you to get the people prepare and ready for a co-ordinated defence of the planet. We need weapons and armour. What we have barely covers our recruits. We need the people informed and most of all we need to build up moral,” Cloiytie told her.

“We have the co-operation of Captain Stillway’s crew. People who have no loyalty to us but are still willing to step forward in our defence!” Karasena said with a glance to Mark.

“Ok, ok I get it,” Eloise protested. “What I want is to be in on it all?”

“That you will have, as long as you are truthful and accurate,” the Chief warned her.

“I get that, so let’s start at the beginning?”

“That we can do,” the Chief said. He spoke telling her of the message from Admiral Katares and the warning it brought.

It was going to be a long day for Eloise but worth it.

~~~

Katares blew out a deep breath as much as he wanted to do more he couldn’t. Constrains of the war with the Terrans and caution in proceeding against an enemy they had only records of, was putting a strain on him. He regarded his fellow T’Arni and the half T’Arni woman at his side.

“I think Sheila clinched the deal for us,” he commented.

“Eloise has a good soul she just needs guidance in the right direction.” Sheila smiled. “It also helps that she’s a bit of a fangirl towards me.”

Katares turned to Prince Lento. “So now to the real reason you are here?”

“Am I that transparent old friend.”

“No just motivated your Highness.”

“Please Katares we’re friends here,” Lento chuckled.

Sheila just smiled at him. “Go on dear heart.”

Lento reached to Sheila and grasped her hand. “ It’s private moments like this we can be our true shelves.” Lento paused. “But you are right. I’m glad we were here to help you. As you know Sheila has contacts with the Terran News Networks and one of these contacts commed her directly.”

Sheila stepped forward placing a small palm sized data unit on the desk that Katares sat behind. “This is a direct link to someone you’d like to listen to. Of course he can’t be here in person but you should listen to his proposal?” She touched the data unit and a holo of a Chinese looking Human in a Terran Navy uniform appeared.

“Admiral Wen Ju this is Admiral Katares,” Sheila introduced.

Katares stared at the holo totally surprised. “Admiral Wen Ju?”

“Admiral Katares,” Wen Ju spoke slowly with a heavy accent his version of Galactic formal. “I’ve been trying to contact your government for days now. I wanted to let them know that I am formally withdrawing my forces from Confederacy territory. We’re pulling back to the Empire and calling for a cease fire.”

Katares had wondered why there had been fewer strikes on Confederacy targets. Here was that reason although he thought it odd that the senate hadn’t said anything. He began to suspect a greater conspiracy here keep the Empire and Confederacy at each other’s throats. “Please go on?” Katares said there was more to this.

“As much as I have control of those fleets with me, There are individual ships under direct control of the Emperor.” Wen Ju grimaced. “I’m in enough trouble pulling my fleets back. Rest assured fleets under my control will be sent to border with the Orsini Commonwealth. You aren’t a threat the Orsini are?”

Katares winced at that. Even with every ship the Confederacy could muster the combined fleets of the Empire could easily defeat them. Which made the reasons that the Terran Emperor had only sent two fleets to attack the Confederacy all the more like a sideline for something more deadly.

Wen Ju continued. “I must warn you someone on either side wants this war to continue. I’ve sent some of my best back to Earth to investigate and I suggest you do the same in the Confederacy.”

Katares was already on it, but as much as he wanted to warn Wen Ju the same he held his tongue. It wasn’t as if he trusted Wen Ju it was those under his command. “Thank you Admiral,” Katares said. “I’ll make sure we honour your cease fire.” It wouldn’t be hard for him the Confederacy Constitution forbade crossing borders. This had been more for the Orsini in the Disputed Territories than for the Empire.

“Of course this will only last until they get someone to replace me. They’ve already tried but they were defeated.” Wen Ju’s face was grim. “I really don’t want to start a civil war within the Empire we’ve enough trying to hold back the Orsini.” A sudden noise behind Wen Ju had him turning. “Report!” he said to someone unseen.

Katares couldn’t hear what was said.

“I have to go,” Wen Ju said. “What I feared is here.” With that the connection was cut.

Katares sat back there wasn’t much he could say to that. It seemed what he had suspected had come true. He had to ask the question to Lento. “Do you reckon the Emperor is in league with the Rhosani?” They were the only ones that would profit from this chaos.

“This Emperor we don’t know, Sheila’s contacts, in fact no one from any of the Terran News Networks had been able to get close,” Lento said.

“That isn’t good.” Katares considered what Wen Ju said. “What are we going to do about the cease fire?”

“I’ve got access to the Senate and Sheila will put this out as a press release of course anonymously. We don’t want the enemy know we are on to them yet.” Lento regarded Katares. “And the Erikino situation?”

“Hope that the ships get there in time, hope that Erikino will be ready and pray to the Ancients that we will win this first battle.”

“That’s all we can do old friend.” Lento gestured to Sheila. “Come let us put on our public faces.”

Sheila just waved and both the Prince and she we gone. Katares was on his own all he could do was wait.